A Hail Mary Pass
by linda.ljc
Summary: An emergency and a last minute save or two.


**Title: A Hail Mary Pass**

**by: lindaljc **

**Summary:** An emergency and a last minute save or two.

Fandom: Stargate Atlantis

Category: Team, Angst, Drama, Gen

A/N: Kinda hokey? Too literal? Be kind.

Characters: Ronon, Teyla, Torren, J. Sheppard, R. McKay, Woolsey, Chuck, Dr. Carson Beckett, Kavanaugh mentioned

Disclaimer: The characters and settings of Stargate SG-1 and Stargate: Atlantis belong to Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Film Corporation. All other publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of Stargate: SG-1 and Stargate: Atlantis or any other media franchise including Disney, who owns the Star Wars franchise. Or any entity who owns the rights of any movie, television show, or novels mentioned. No copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

_This story was written by with the love of the show in mind._

…

Ronon stood silent and contemplative for several minutes. The sun was barely a blip on the horizon and the last moon was just setting, but his mind was years away. When the opportunity arose, he always made time for these moments of remembrance from his early years. Jokes with his comrades. Mornings when he broke fast with his family. The warmth of Melena in his arms. The wild beauty of Sateda itself.

He remembered because he didn't want to forget. _That_ was his life, the life of his friends and family, his world, and they were precious. It was when he had to run from the Wraith all those years, that was the part of his life that he didn't want to remember. There were too many moments of fear and desperation, and it was a time when it was all too rare to remember the good things in his life. He never let that happen here. On Atlantis he had that precious privilege, and he cherished it. He never forgot to appreciate what he had had, and what he had now.

He'd finally sigh and smiled softly in gratitude, and then he'd be off, pushing and fighting every step throughout the day, because remembering the good was precious, but running helped defeat the bad. So he ran and he always strove to beat the unspoken limit that everyone else felt they had, that they let hold them back, but he wouldn't let it stop him. He never had self-imposed limits. He always struggled on until he had to admit he'd reached his best for this day.

Then, after he'd beaten the bad memories down, he'd turn and walk and jog slowly back. Now he could let himself catch his breath, let his muscles relax, and let himself appreciate the beauty of Atlantis and the regard he had for his team. And there was beauty here, both esoteric and stark. And friendship he'd never believed would exist again.

Like most of the people here, he loved the high observation decks, but for some reason D Deck spoke to him. It wasn't at the top of the tower, but there were windows on the world on this deck of the main tower where you could see the ocean and smell it and sometimes feel its power, like today, when it was wild and untamed. The bare structural beams that graced this central area of the tower spoke of unyielding strength. It was also the best protected, most strongly shielded part of the city, being the main tower.

The balconies around B, C, and D decks looked down on the main Control Room so he was never far from where the decisions were made, where Sheppard could often be found, and where the Gate was just a few steps away. Off of B Deck held the Jumper Bay which rose up past C Deck and beyond to exit above the city. Maintenance areas were off to the side of D and all of E Deck for the Jumpers and other operations. And off on the other side were the labs, where McKay and his crew performed their duties, their science. So, all around D Deck were work areas, and there were people who traveled the balconies at all times of the day, though there weren't many around when the sun had just risen and the lights were still low, which was Ronon's favorite time.

But D Deck also had those high windows that bulged out of the side of the main tower slightly. From there you could see most of the city piers, but it faced the ocean so that it seemed almost surrounded by it. He stopped there today for a time, mesmerized by the waves that crashed over the piers in such a frenzy that even this high up the panes of these windows were continually drenched. It was a marvelous storm, and he was very glad to be inside and well away from its fierceness today.

...

It was time for Teyla to pick Torren up at the offices used by the linguists. This was not where her usual babysitter was, but the office was quiet and Dr. Marsha Lindstrom had practically begged for the opportunity. She was leaving the city to get married in a month, and she was missing her own younger siblings so Teyla had agreed.

She realized it may have been a mistake though when she walked in on chaos. The little machine that made copies of documents was spewing them like a badly dealt game of cards, and Dr. Abernathy was frantically trying to stop it, and trying to grab them at the same time. And Teyla knew from her own experience with one of the dratted little machines that you might be able to do one or the other, but not both at the same time.

Dr. Lindstrom was holding a laughing Torren in her arms and apologizing to Dr. Abernathy, while one of the Marine assistants was trying hard not to laugh at the whole situation. Teyla pressed her lips firmly together. She wasn't happy that the Marine wasn't trying to help, or that perhaps Torren had been the cause, because that would have meant that he wasn't being watched closely. She took a deep calming breath and walked up to Dr. Lindstrom and rescued her child from the situation. Marsha tried to apologize to her also, so Teyla did think that Torren had been supervised less closely than was necessary.

"Dr. Lindstrom, I have Torren now, and I believe Dr. Abernathy could use some help." Before she turned to leave she leveled a glare at the Marine, who gulped and stood quickly, to finally add his assistance to the Doctors.

She exited the office and made her way to a quiet area where benches and tables were arranged for those taking a break from work. Right now it was empty for which she was glad. She settled Torren beside her on a couch and quickly checked that he was alright. He was still chuckling so she was fairly certain he was unharmed, but it didn't hurt to check. He seemed to sense her unease and his chuckling stopped and a worried frown followed, so she leaned in, smiled, and tickled his little ribs until he was laughing once again, to let him know all was well.

"Well, my son, it seems you had an exciting day. Perhaps a nap is called for after lunch. We shall join your uncles and after lunch you should be calmed down enough to be sleepy. At least I hope so, Torren," she added with a sigh.

Lunch usually had a calming effect on Torren. A full stomach was usually enough to make him slow down and be ready for an afternoon nap.

Rodney was late to lunch today. It wasn't unusual but he did seem preoccupied.

John looked from Rodney to his own lunch tray and back again.

Teyla smiled gently when she realized that Rodney hadn't stolen John's pudding cup. John crossed his arms and stared at McKay. Rodney must have been very distracted because it took several minutes of silence from those at the table for him to look up. With his mouth full he managed to say, "What?"

John looked pointedly at his own tray and then at Rodney.

Rodney looked confused for a moment. "Oh! Chocolate! They only had vanilla when I came through. Thanks." And he went directly back to his lunch.

John chuckled. "What's got you so preoccupied today?"

Rodney stopped and gulped down his mouthful this time. "Kavanaugh. Need I say more?"

"Yes, actually."

Rodney sighed. "I swear the man needs a slide-rule to do basic math."

"What happened to his laptop?"

"He's working in the hazmat shop. We don't dare use a laptop around some of that stuff. We can't afford to damage them."

John grinned. "What, no little hazmat suits for them?"

"Actually, yes. But they're hard to work on with those thick gloves we have to wear. And materials can be transferred without the little "hazmat suits" as you call them. But he should be able to do basic math in his head."

"Soooo. What did he do?"

Rodney chewed, swallowed, and sighed. "Nothing we can't fix, I hope, but it's going to take time. He doubled the solvent that's used to clean the lubricant from the MALPs. Did I say he's an idiot?"

"The lubricant is pretty stable stuff."

"Yeah. But the solvent is highly corrosive without the additive that's supposed to be combined with it. But he didn't double the additive."

"Damn. That stuff is getting cleaned up, right?"

"Of course. It can cause all kinds of nasty problems if it gets on the wrong machinery, or just gets into the drains. It's a mess and the Marine maintenance staff was furious, as you can imagine. I'm sure you'll be getting uniquely worded reports from them soon enough."

John chuckled. "Uniquely worded. I'll have to remember that phrase."

Rodney grinned. "Well, they're all smarter than Kavanaugh, I'll grant you that. I'd like to see their choice of words myself."

Lunch was over too quickly it seemed, as Torren was not in the napping mood although Teyla felt like she could use a nap. Yesterday's mission had been strenuous if not dangerous, and the lessons she gave this morning all went well but she felt that she could use a break herself today.

Ronon seemed to sense her fatigue and that Torren was still quite active. Children needed naps, he'd learned that from his mother. She'd been quite strict about it. He'd learned later that it was as much for her sanity as for the children's health. He couldn't help smiling at the memories that brought up. Those were good ones.

Ronon walked out of the mess hall with Teyla. She carried Torren as his little legs would have slowed her down considerably. He half turned to her. "Let me take him for a bit."

"You do not have to do that, Ronon. He is not that heavy."

"But you're tired. I can tell. Let's take a walk up on D Deck. There's an enclosed balcony and there's a storm brewing. The waves will be awesome."

Teyla grinned at the Earth-ism. "You have been up there today?"

"Yeah. You know I like to do part of my morning run up there if it's not too busy. You'll enjoy the view. And it shouldn't be crowded at this time of day. The Ancients liked their big open spaces, especially here in the main tower. Outside, the sea is so wild you'd never be able to take a boat out in it. The seas are running great heights over the piers."

Teyla grinned at the thought of such wildness that could be observed from the safety of the city. "It does sound like something I would like to see. Especially since we won't get wet."

There were no benches, but pillows had been left in the nook by the balcony. Teyla and Ronon both piled them behind them just to be able to stare at the wild state of the ocean surrounding Atlantis. It was somehow exhilarating, but also soothing to the soul. And it was beautiful. The crashing waves were as Ronon had described. They easily reached them, and even the deck above.

Torren was enthralled. He stood on unsteady legs and leaned against the clear material that protected them from the elements. He giggled and was surprised sometimes at the splashes right in front of him. When he sighed Teyla was happy for him. He seemed to appreciate the wildness and the beauty too, as he leaned his forehead on the window on the world just waiting for the next splash to delight him.

Ronon, too, seemed relaxed and contemplative. Teyla found she had to fight to not drop off to sleep.

Ronon grinned. "Go ahead. I'll watch Torren. He seems happy where he is."

"If you're sure? Do not let me sleep long."

Ronon nodded, and after Teyla slipped easily and quickly into sleep, Torren plopped down to sit, still watching the waves. Ronon pushed some pillows up behind him suggestively, and the boy took the hint eventually, as Ronon continued to sit and watch. He wasn't sure how long he watched before he felt a tremor. He thought it might be storm related so he listened for any warnings that might come over the alert system but it remained silent.

It was only minutes later that a much larger tremor was felt. He reached over to touch Teyla's shoulder.

She smiled and stretched, and another tremor was felt by both.

"Ronon?" she asked softly.

"That's the third one. The first was hardly noticeable and I thought it might be the storm, but the next, and now this one, were both stronger. I'm going to radio in."

He didn't get a chance as a comm alert sounded. "All hands," Sheppard warned. "The hazmat area at the far end of D Deck has experienced several explosions. Fire is spreading along conduits between C Deck and D. Everyone on those decks are to evacuate immediately. Fire suppression has been attempted but is slow to extinguish the chemical blaze. It's affecting some of the Earth-supplied conduits ability to expel hazardous smoke, and some are melting in the intense temperatures. Repeating. Evacuation orders for Decks C and D and any areas directly above and below. The Control Room may be affected if we can't get this under control soon. Be ready to evacuate the main tower if so ordered."

Teyla and Ronon jumped to their feet, and Teyla grabbed Torren from his nest of pillows. Ronon stepped out of their secluded nook and looked in every direction and wasn't pleased with what he saw. "There's smoke all around. Thick and black." He took a piece of heavy homespun cloth from a pocket. "Here. Put this over Torren's face. We need to move fast and keep low."

"Where will we go? Which direction? I see flames to the left."

"And thick smoke to the right. But straight ahead it seems thinner."

"But that is open space right down to the Control Room. Sheppard said it may be in danger, too."

Ronon grabbed her arm. "Let's not get separated. I don't think there's much choice in direction at the moment."

Teyla nodded and ran with Ronon, who was barely a step ahead and searching for another path as they ran. But only straight ahead was the air clear enough to make out the balcony ahead.

The dense smoke was narrowing their escape path, and soon they were both coughing. Teyla, carrying Torren, could barely keep on her feet. Torren was crying and squirming and fighting Teyla in his fear, and she was nearly crushing him because of hers.

Ronon was fighting his own fear. He had two lives in his keeping and he couldn't find a way to even get off D Deck, and he knew the area well. The transporters were too far away, deep in the smoke and heat so he went the only way he could think of, to the balcony that ran along the inside of D Deck. It looked down past the balcony for C Deck and past the balcony to the Jumper Bay all the way down to the Control Room. Maybe someone could get to them from above or below. That was his only hope, because minor tremors that he believed must be more explosions were still happening at irregular intervals, and he feared for the city itself if they continued. But Teyla and Torren were his immediate concerns. Maybe someone in a Jumper could get to them from the Bay that led off the corridor to the Control Room.

Debris started to fall from above, probably shaken loose by the explosions. Something hit Teyla and knocked her down, but she still held Torren. Ronon leaned down to pull her onto her feet.

She could barely gasp her plea. "No. Ronon. Take Torren. I give him into your hands." Then she passed out. Ronon shook her none too gently and lightly slapped her face. Torren was frantic and pulling at his mother's arm.

Ronon could hardly breathe himself but picked the boy up, and stood. He looked down at Teyla and then to the inside edge of the D Deck balcony. It was closer than he'd thought. He grabbed one of Teyla's arms and dragged her behind him. His and Torren's eyes were streaming because of the smoke but he knew which direction was the only choice.

When he reached the balcony he dropped to the floor and leaned over it. The air was clearer in the central area of the main tower and he gulped it eagerly. He pulled Teyla closer, too. He could see the Control Room, and Chuck at his station. It seemed a long way down. He thought he could climb down the structural supports, but not with Torren and Teyla.

Wait. Chuck wasn't the only one in the Control Room. He looked at Torren and the man so far below. It would have to do. Otherwise there was no possible way he could save them both. He took off his long jacket and wrapped Torren in it, making a sling that he slid off the balcony floor. He leaned out as far as he could and yelled. "WOOLSEY."

The man heard him and stared up in shock at the sight.

"CATCH TORREN!"

Woolsey's mouth opened and was about to yell something stupid, Ronon was sure of it.

"HAIL MARY PASS, WOOLSEY. IT'S THE ONLY CHOICE. ON THREE. GET READY. ONE... TWO... THREE..."

Woolsey managed a two-handed catch that knocked him flat, and Ronon would be surprised if he hadn't been hurt himself, but he caught Torren and that's all that counted right now.

Now, he turned to Teyla. He managed to stand and get her in a fireman's carry and climbed out over the railing. He slid down one support, climbing down the bare girders and barely caught himself on the second balcony. It took precious minutes for him to catch his breath and stop coughing. He could feel Teyla's labored breaths and was encouraged to know for sure that she was still alive.

Now he had to maneuver along the balcony to another structural support that would get him down to B Deck. That deck was not as smoke filled as the other two. He'd never get down to the Control Deck without the supports of the upper decks to help him, but he thought he could get Teyla to safety through the Jumper Bay. When he reached B Deck he swung them both through the opening and onto the deck where his strength finally gave out, and he passed out.

...

Woolsey hurt in every joint, muscle, and bone. But a quick self-assessment seemed to assure him he may be bent in a few places but that nothing was broken too badly. He struggled to slide the child onto the floor beside him, then he unwrapped the stunned child from Ronon's leather coat. He wasn't crying, so was that good. Or was it injury. Or was it shock.

He tapped his radio. "Dr. Beckett." No answer. "Infirmary, there's a possible injury on the Control Deck. Answer please." No answer. "Any medical personnel, please acknowledge." No answer.

He carefully sat up and moved the child as little as possible. Torren started to whimper, but also coughed harshly. He didn't cry. /Poor child/ Woolsey thought, then he looked up and gasped. Ronon had just caught himself on one of the balconies right over the Control Deck. He watched as Ronon somehow balanced an unconscious Teyla and slid to another support on the next balcony down before sliding over the railing and going out of sight.

Woolsey saw several Marines head to the area where Ronon had disappeared. /Good. Good. They had help./

A Gate Room guard yelled to Woolsey. "Do you need help, Sir?"

"Yes. Of course I need help!" He couldn't seem to get off the floor, as one arm was refusing to work. When the the guard rushed up to him he said, "Take Torren to the Infirmary. I can't get an answer from them. He's had too much smoke and Ronon had to drop him from up there."

Woolsey had glanced up and the guard was obviously shocked. "Take him. I'll stay here and try to help with the evacuation."

"Yes, Sir." The guard was very gentle with the child, and had obviously had some experience with youngsters, because he spoke gently to him. He also sat him up against his shoulder and it seemed to ease the coughing. Then guard, with Torren, moved off quickly.

Woolsey managed, one-handed, to get off the floor. He went to Chuck's station. Chuck was wide-eyed because he'd witnessed the catching part and part of Ronon's climb but it had happened so quickly that he hadn't had time to move from his station. He turned back and tried the comm. "Dr. McKay! Dr. Zelenka! Kusinagi? Simpson? Anyone?"

"Chuck. I'm not a tech, but I am a keen observer. Tell me what to do to help."

"But, Sir..."

Woolsey said firmly, "Chuck, I caught a baby. I already did one Hail Mary today. Let me help."

"Uh, yes, Sir. But Mr. Woolsey. I don't know what to do."

"...then guess!"

"Guess!?"

"You think everyone knows the correct answer every time? Everyone has to sometimes make their best guess."

"There's no answer from anyone. The comm system must be down. The radios too. Guessing won't get us contact with the rest of the city, Sir."

"The fire suppression system was working, is that correct?"

"Yes, Sir. But it's not stopping the fire, and all communications are out. I don't know what the scientists or the hazmat people are doing to fight this fire." Chuck waited for a long moment, as Woolsey looked a million miles away. "Sir? Should we evacuate?"

"There's a storm raging outside. Is that right? It's still in full force?"

Chuck checked all the scanners and gauges that were working. "It seems so, Sir."

"Open the windows."

"What?"

"The windows. Let the rains and waves, whatever is wet, let it inside. Can you do that for Decks E, D, C, and B only? And only on the seaward side of the main tower."

Chuck nodded as he thought of the steps needed. "Yes, Sir! Right away, Sir!"

As the windows opened, the roar of the fire easily muted the roar of the storm's waves as they crashed into the superstructure of the main tower of Atlantis. But the violence of the waves soon forced their fury on E Deck even though it was almost above the height of the waves. Then D Deck was soon awash with the life-saving water as it came flooding into the city wave after wave both from that deck and above. The waves surged and hissed and metal sizzled as the steam rose up, and up into the exit of the Jumper Bay, and B Deck was awash. But soon the water diluted and washed away the corrosive liquid and washed the soot and smoke from the air as it made it's way down through the floors above.

Materials that had buckled or melted in the heat were no longer a danger as some of the smoke billowed out of the windows, and the water flooded the lower levels washing some people off their feet, but swept through floor after floor and poured off the balconies. Rain in the main tower was unknown until now, but was a welcome sight indeed.

Chuck was laughing as the water nearly washed him from his chair. He grabbed at Woolsey to keep him on his feet but it was too much and both were swept down the stairs and to the Gate Room floor until Atlantis itself dealt with the rush of water. It was good to have a city that knew how to deal with too much water.

It was going to be a messy cleanup, and repairs would take months, but the city was safe now from the raging fire, and it's people would live, and that was what was important.

...

Teyla woke with an oxygen mask on her face and burning in her eyes. She tried to remove this foreign thing from her face, and she suddenly came to full awareness and searched for her child.

Dr. Carson Beckett was quickly at her side. "There, there, luv'. Ye've been through a lot but you'll be fine, and Torren is fine, too. Here, let Marie put some drops in yer eyes. They'll make them feel much better. Then she can bring Torren. He's in a babe's crib and we're watching him, too. He got some smoke but not as bad as you. I put him on a medicated breathing mixture. It'll help him, an he'll be off it in about an hour anyway. But we'll bring the child right up by your bed. Just lay back and rest for now. That's the best thing for you."

Teyla couldn't believe she was even alive. She barely remembered her last conscious moments and wondered at the miracle that she'd lived to survive the fire at all. "Ronon?" she whispered harshly.

Beckett smiled. "Oh, that young man is a wonder. He'll be fine. He's right next to you and getting oxygen, too." Now Beckett looked disgruntled. "At least as long as we can keep the mask on him. Maybe you can encourage him a little, aye?"

Teyla took as deep a breath as she was able and nodded. She got a good look at a dozing Ronon before Marie approached with the eye drops. Teyla was glad of them, they had such a cooling effect, and were a relief. By the time her eyes cleared Marie had brought Torren beside her bed. He was blessedly asleep, but she could see that he was not burned and he was breathing easily under the mask.

With her main concerns relieved she gestured for Dr. Beckett. "Carson, what of the others? Were many injured or..."

Beckett glanced around his infirmary. "As ye can see, we only have four of ye to take care of now. There were none too serious but you three. There were a lot of people with minor burns and some smoke, but they were mostly the hazmat area people, and they knew how corrosive the materials were so they already had protective gear on. But still there were some, but they've been released to an observation area down the hall. Besides you three, there's Mr. Woolsey with a dislocated shoulder. Mr. Campbell had a slight concussion so he's been released to the observation area. I'll be releasing Mr. Woolsey in a few hours, too, after the swelling goes down a little.

"You three will be staying a while. Torren will be fine soon, but we'll keep him until you're well enough to care for him again, so it'll be a couple of days. So, like I said, rest is best. Get your strength back and you'll be out of here sooner rather than later."

"I don't see John or Rodney."

Carson chuckled. "And it'll be a while. They're quite busy, and the last I saw of them both they were covered in soot and soaked to the skin, and Rodney was yelling about Kavanaugh cleaning every inch with a toothbrush."

Teyla smiled, because she honestly didn't have the strength to laugh. Soon, she dozed off and the quiet of the infirmary continued around her till she woke.

...

Woolsey finally woke up in the Infirmary and wondered how he got there. He tried to move but the pain in his arm was enough to make him stop. He could hear voices to his right, and he sighed in relief. It was Teyla, Torren, and Ronon. He listened in surprise as the voices rose until Teyla was yelling, and at Ronon, which surprised him further since he knew Ronon had saved both her's and Torren's lives, so he turned to see what was going on despite the pain in his shoulder.

Teyla's eyes were wide and her voice at least an octave higher than he'd ever heard her use before. "You DROPPED him, Ronon? Torren? How could you? I begged you to save him!"

Ronon gave her a grave look. "Then how would I have saved you both? Besides, it was something Sheppard always talked about that gave me the idea. You know, a Hail Mary Pass."

Teyla looked furious. "That was a GAME, Ronon. Not a child to be tossed off a balcony. We were on D Deck!"

"Well, then thank Woolsey. He caught him."

Teyla's reddened eyes flashed to Woolsey and then to the sling that held his arm, then she suddenly broke down in tears, but managed to force words through the tears. "Thank you... thank you... thank you both."

…

End


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